BC Bears' Squad announced for 2017 CRCs in Calgary

August 10, 2017

Vancouver, BC – Aug 10, 2017 – BC Rugby is proud to announce the BC Bears team ahead of their remaining matches in the 2017 Canadian Rugby Championships (CRCs), sponsored by Langara Fishing Adventures. Lead by Canadian and BC stalwarts Phil Mack and Anthony Luca, the team has already secured one victory in this year’s championship and are looking for more. Rugby Park in Calgary will host the remaining matches between the 13thand 19thAugust, with BC keen to dethrone reigning champions Ontario Blues.

The BC Bears kicked off their CRC campaign with a comprehensive victory over Calgary Wolf Pack, winning 43-0 on home soil at UBC Thunderbird Stadium in front of a vocal crowd. They will now set their sights on overhauling Atlantic Rock on August 13thbefore a crunch match with 2016 champions Ontario Blues on August 16th. Standings after that match will dictate who will compete in the final, to be held on August 19th. The BC Bears haven’t laid their hands on the MacTier Cup, awarded to the CRC winners, since 2009. However, their performance in the opening match suggests this year’s team could well be in with a very real shout of the title this year.

After that opening match at UBC, BC Bears’ coach Tony Healy indicated there was still much work to be done in the buildup to these remaining games. The squad chosen to fly to Calgary contains 19 of the 23 players who took part in the first match. Included in that list are Brock Staller, who claimed a hat trick of tries against the Wolf Pack, catalytic scrum half Phil Mack and powerhouse Anthony Luca. New additions to the lineup include Dustin Dobravsky, Blake van Heyningen, Karsten Leitner, Sean Ferguson, Noah Barker, Rylie DiNardo, Shea Wakefield, Kevin Leask and Tua Va'a.

Canada Senior Men's Team players Mack and Luca will bring an extra element of experience and composure to the squad off the back of the test series games against Romania, Georgie and USA in June. With a further seven players hailing from the BC Rugby Men's Premier League 2017 Champions, UBC Thunderbirds, there is no question that the squad is well equipped to deal with the pressure and expectation going into next week.

BC Bears’ Assistant Coach and player, Phil Mack, said he was looking forward to the challenge, stating, “We are excited to get to Calgary and compete. We are looking to build off the back of our first game and feel we have put ourselves in that position. The team have put a lot of work in and are eager to showcase what BC rugby is about. We know that if we stick to our processes that the results will take care of themselves.”

Those unable to travel to Calgary to see the action, catch the game on live stream via Rugby Canada. For up to date information on the CRCs tournament, check out the official sitehere.